Vygotsky and Scaffolding

Understanding Scaffolding

The term scaffolding was introduced by Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976) in an attempt to operationalize the concept of teaching in the zone of proximal development. The term scaffolding was never used by Vygotsky. 

The Zone of Proximal Development, defined as the distance between what a student can do with and without help (Vygotsky 1978), is used to explain the social and participatory nature of teaching and learning. Supporting children's active position in their learning and assisting them in becoming self-regulated learners is at the heart of Vygotsky's concept of the ZPD. 

Instructional Scaffolding

Instructional scaffolding is a strategy for supporting learners which begins with Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and his learning concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). According to Vygotsky's socioculutral theory, cognition is developed through social interaction.

Learning as a Social Process. Vygotsky introduced a definition of instructional scaffolding that focused on teacher practices. He defined this as  the role of teachers and others in supporting the learner’s development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level. Vygotsky believed that learning does not occur in isolation. Rather, learning is a social process, guided by interactions with classmates and others involved in the lesson.

Zone of Proximal Development. A second layer to instructional scaffolding exists with Vygotsky’s conceptual thoughts about supporting independency. This support mechanism – ZPD – is the difference between what a learner can do independently and what a learner can complete with adult support or scaffolding practices.

Vygotsky committed to his belief that instructional scaffolding and application of these scaffolds at the ZPD allowed for any child to successfully learn in any area. The activation process of the ZPD is initiated when content is taught just outside of the student’s current skill and knowledge level. This ignites a student’s motivation to know more about the content and, as a result, pushes forward the learner’s effort to work beyond their current skill level.

References:

Jacobs, G. (2001). Providing the Scaffold: A Model for Early Childhood/Primary Teacher Preparation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29 (20), pp 125-130.

Raymond, E. (2000). Cognitive Characteristics. Learners with Mild Disabilities (pp. 169-201). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, A Pearson Education Company

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Vygotsky, L. (1997) Educational Psychology. Florida: St. Lucie Press 

Vygotsky, L. S. (1962) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 

Wood, D., Bruner, J. & Ross, G. (1976). The Role of Tutoring in Problem Solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, pp 89-100.